APRIL 30, 2025
John Williams cancels Berlin concerts due to health reasons; Stéphane Denève steps in
John Williams has cancelled his upcoming concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker scheduled for 5–7 June 2025 at the Philharmonie Berlin. According to an official statement, the composer and conductor is still recovering from a health issue and is unable to travel.
The concerts will now be led by Stéphane Denève, a close collaborator of Williams and music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. The programme — entirely devoted to Williams’ music — will remain unchanged. Denève previously conducted the composer’s 90th birthday gala in Washington in 2022.
This is the second major cancellation this spring for the Berliner Philharmoniker due to health-related issues. In April, it was announced that Daniel Barenboim would be unable to conduct his concerts in May, both in Berlin and at the Mahler Festival in Amsterdam. Sakari Oramo took over those performances, also with the programmes unchanged.
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APRIL 30, 2025
Riccardo Chailly to remain at La Scala through 2026
Riccardo Chailly will continue as Music Director of Teatro alla Scala until the end of 2026. The extension activates a clause already included in his contract, and was confirmed by the theatre’s board in coordination with superintendent Fortunato Ortombina.
Chailly is scheduled to open the 2025–26 season with Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, and will stay in the role through the end of the year. His departure had initially been considered for the summer.
The board is expected to meet in May to evaluate candidates for the role beyond 2026.
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APRIL 28, 2025
World premiere of Filidei’s Il nome della rosa at La Scala
La Scala has unveiled the world premiere of Il nome della rosa, an opera by Francesco Filidei based on Umberto Eco’s celebrated novel. Commissioned jointly by La Scala and the Paris Opera, the work is conducted by Ingo Metzmacher and marks Filidei’s third opera. The score draws on Gregorian chant and adopts a symphonic structure intertwined with arias and recitatives. The cast includes Kate Lindsey, Lucas Meachem, Gianluca Buratto, and Daniela Barcellona, among others. Performances run at La Scala from April 27 to May 10, 2025. The Milan-based festival Milano Musica is dedicating a monographic edition to Filidei in parallel with the production.
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APRIL 28, 2025
Michael Gallen awarded FEDORA Prize for Opera 2024
Irish composer Michael Gallen has been awarded the prestigious Fedora Prize — considered the most important international award for a new opera — for his work The Curing Line. The opera, set to premiere at the Kilkenny Arts Festival in 2026, was praised for “redefining the operatic genre by fusing tradition with multimedia innovation.”
The Fedora Prize, awarded biennially and endowed with €100,000, is organized by Fedora, a European philanthropic network supporting the future of opera and ballet. The 2025 jury included leaders from the Opéra National de Paris, Dutch National Opera, the Royal Danish Theatre, and the Aix-en-Provence Festival.
The Curing Line explores themes of healing, tradition, and ecological awareness, following the story of a woman who loses her ancestral healing powers and questions what is lost when humanity separates itself from nature.
In accepting the award, Gallen said the recognition offered “a huge surge of affirmation” for him and his team, encouraging their current and future creative projects.
Gallen’s previous opera Elsewhere had already been nominated for the Fedora Prize in 2021.
PH: Michael Gallen/PH: Daire Hall
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APRIL 24, 2025
Ryan Fleur appointed president and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts
The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts has named Ryan Fleur as its new president and CEO, effective immediately. Fleur had been serving as interim CEO since January 2025, following the departure of Matías Tarnopolsky, who left to become president and CEO of the New York Philharmonic.
Fleur has held leadership roles with the Philadelphia Orchestra for over a decade and played a central role in its 2021 merger with the Kimmel Center, forming one of the largest performing arts institutions in the United States.
His appointment comes ahead of the Orchestra’s 125th anniversary season and the 25th anniversary of the Kimmel Center in 2026. A former executive director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Fleur has also held positions at the Boston Ballet, New York Philharmonic, and Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra.
During his tenure in Philadelphia, Fleur has led major digital initiatives, international partnerships—including a return tour to China in 2023—and helped launch the Digital Stage during the pandemic. In 2022, the Orchestra won its first GRAMMY® Award for its recording of Florence Price’s symphonies.
PH: Ryan Fleur
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